Cre8audio East Beast & West Pest

So more on what i think they are still working on.

One of the bullet points they list in their product description is this :

  • Generative sequencing mode

Looking through the manual i found no mention of this. There is a sequencer and an arpeggiator, but nothing about a generative sequencing mode. ( Unless they somehow mean transposing of sequences, but i think it would be more than this. ) So i am guess this feature is still in development.

A generativre sequencer would be icing, but it might be very tasty icing on a budget synth like this.

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I think its a ‘blue’ button combo, it’s in the review. The synth starts cooking up its own sequences and when you like it you stop the generator.

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Apparently i missed it. Oh well, it’s early with the EB !

I’ll go back and reread the manual.

Nice though to have generative sequencing with this too !

This coupled with a Erica Synth Pico System III could be a fun combo under 1k € with a lot of potential!

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A year ago I was contemplating an PM SV-1b, but held off because they hinted at new devices in the fall. Had East Beast been around at the time, it would probably have been an insta-buy. I still might get one, just to fool around with it! The aesthetic is not to my taste, but I have to admire their deliberate contrariness. Why should everything be austere or haughty alien glyphs?

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So watching the video with Gaz interviewing Richard Nicol of Pittsburgh Modular, and he said the electronics, the oscillators and filters, in the East Beast are kind of a “best of” release from them, from all their products.

Also a leak, don’t be surprised if in a while there isn’t a west coast version like the East Beast !!

EDIT : Fixed spelling of name.

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He did seem to drop a hint that there might well be a West Xxxxx…

West Pest?

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Wow, this is such a lovely and well considered synthesiser. Some really nice design options, great price and the sound is divine… but I’ll probably have to pass on the design - no even so much about the moon in the background - it’s the area where the ‘beast’ is… just too cluttered to see what’s going on…

Another reminder that I really shouldn’t have slept on the Microvolt when it was more readily available.

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Will echo many of you that yeah…this is not an attractive design…subjective I know but not a fan.
Have had similar feelings about the modules they’ve collaborated on too.

That aside, I didn’t think I cared about this but it sounds really good, has some interesting seq/pattern features and is really well-priced! If I ever need another mono then I’ll definitely have a look at this. Even simple note input elevates this over similarly-priced B monos.

Very into the idea of a West Coast iteration in this format!

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You cut off my “if in a while” in front of that snip. Perhaps it’s a regional idiom, what i am saying is there is a west coast version in the plans.

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Oops, yes, I see what you mean - reading too fast… my mistake.

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From the way the dude was talking on the Sonic State video I get the impression it’s the same people behind both companies?

If so I’d have stuck with the Pittsberg design language myself…

Interesting faceplate but not what I’d call an attractive design.

Great synth at a great price though.

Yea same - they make good stuff but it’s not what I’d call ‘good design’

Richard Nicol also talked about the design and colors, that it was a way to make things more fun.

For all that my opinion matters, and it really doesn’t, i think the colorful design is fine, and i wouldn’t go to the bother of doing an overlay. But i have worn mismatching socks so what do i know ?

EDIT : Fixed spelling of name.

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Crea8 and Pittsburgh Modular are separate entities, and as I understand it the former are now manufacturing the latter’s designs, at least in this instance; the design of the East Beast follows on from PM’s Safari series:

https://pittsburghmodular.com/safari

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I really like the look of the Safari series… it’s got the playful vibe but the background is just that little bit more subdued that they seem more usable. The EastBeast is turned up to 11 on the contrast front…

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Yeah two companies, that work well together, Yin and Yang.

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It’s not my favourite design, but it might be more usable in person; and it’s certainly different to PM’s earlier industrial look.

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Inspired by maybe but definitely not created by the same artist. Those are better designed and the typeface is nicer.

Different entities but I gather they’re the same people. At least the dude presenting it at Superbooth is also the same person that designed the filter and envelope circuits (10 years ago under Pittsburgh)

No. It’s different people.